Wayne R. Viereck Obituary (1935 - 2021)

The Rev. Dr. Wayne R. Viereck, loving husband and father, passed away on March 24, 2021 at Kanmar Place in Tucson, AZ. Wayne was preceded in death by his parents Harold and Evelyn (Lane) Viereck and his brother Harold Viereck, Jr. He is survived by his wife Patricia, three daughters: Pamela LaPier (Michael), Monterey, CA; Kathryn Hill (Randal), Palmyra, VA; and Sara Warden (R. Sean), Palmyra, VA; four grandchildren: Jordan (Kallie) LaPier, Alexandria, VA; and Ryan LaPier (Stephanie), Portland, OR; Nicolas and Rachel Warden; and three great-grandchildren: Liam, Bennett, and Luke LaPier. Wayne was born in 1935 in Milwaukee, WI. He met his future wife, Patricia Knaack, at Lutheran High School in Milwaukee. They had shared sixty-five years of love and memories. They were blessed with three daughters: Pam, an elementary teacher; Katie, a library director; and Sara, a retirement community director. Wayne attended the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee for his bachelor's degree. He then attended the Lutheran School of Theology (LSTC) in Maywood, IL for seminary. He was ordained into the Lutheran ministry in 1961. Wayne later returned to LSTC to earn a Doctorate in Ministry in 1977. He had a curious mind and was always reading and talking with others about faith. This led him to publish a book "Then is Now: Reading the New Testament in the 21st Century" in 2017. Pastor Wayne's 60 year career in ministry included his dedicated service at the following parishes: Grace Lutheran in Woodstock; Trinity in Lockport; St. Timothy's, Skokie, and St. Mark, Rockford, all in Illinois; Fox Point in Mequon, WI; the Community Church at SaddleBrooke, AZ; and Resurrection in both Oro Valley and SaddleBrooke. Wayne's calling to the ministry was so strong that he "retired" and was recalled into the Lord's service several times. He only recently retired due to health concerns. Wayne was involved in his communities and concerned with helping those less fortunate. One of the ways he expressed that care was by serving on the Board of Lutheran Social Services of Illinois for many years. Wayne also spearheaded the development of the Luther Center Senior Living residence in Rockford, IL. His mother lived at the facility until her death. The Viereck family took many road-trips together and frequently visited Florida in the summers. Wayne loved to travel and led church tour groups to the Holy Land and Oberammergau. With separate family trips he and Pat visited many countries including France, Italy, Spain. Portugal, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Austria, along with visits to Siesta Key and Disneyland. There were also the Grandma/Grandpa trips with just the grandkids. The entire extended Viereck family traveled on an Alaska cruise to celebrate Wayne and Pat's 60th anniversary. Wayne also had a lifelong fascination with cars. He enjoyed Indy Racing and was always willing to talk cars. He owned 65 cars over his lifetime and was especially fond of Studebakers. Wayne was a passionate fan of Frank Sinatra's music and passed that along to his descendants. He was also a long-time Green Bay Packer fan, traveling many times to Lambeau Field for games and to New Orleans with a friend for Superbowl XXXI. Most importantly, he truly loved and cared for his family, as well as his larger family in Christ, the Church. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts to Salvation Army, Catalina Community Services Food Bank, Lutheran Social Services of the SW or your own favorite charity would be appreciated.